From Mtn To Ibm: The Tech Industry's Best Slogans And Payoff Lines
In the tech sector, IBM stands out for being one of the builders of the digital age. The slogan Think has been a mainstay of the brand since 1913 when it was still called the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company. Rival Apple took a dig at IBM, or Big Blue, when it devised the cheeky slogan Think Different , signalling the change in perspective from mainframe to personal computing in the 1980s. Who can forget the memorable 1984 ad , directed by Ridley Scott of Alien and Blade Runner fame?
"For a long time if I said 'think', you thought IBM in contrast you have some brands like Coca-Cola that change their slogans every year. But often people cannot link taglines to the parent company. IBM works because it has been single-minded across all its channels for a very long time," said Jeremy Sampson, chairman at Brand Finance Africa.
Although founded in 1975, Microsoft used only its logo for 12 years before introducing its first strapline, Making it Easier , in 1987. This was replaced with Where Do You Want to Go Today? in 1994, which made way for Your Potential, Our Passion in 2002. Microsoft's Be What's Next strapline was introduced in 2012 just as the company was gearing up for the cloud computing revolution.
"Since the early 2000s, MTN's slogan has been Everywhere You Go , emphasising the reliability and stability of the MTN network and our commitment to customers to be a catalyst for change, connecting people to a better life 'everywhere you go'. Within that have been brand positionings, the most recent of which was What Are We Doing Today and Today We Make Moves launched in 2022 and 2025, respectively," said MTN South Africa.
Prior to its official launch in 2001, Cell C teased South African consumers with a series of ads voiced by a mysterious female character whose 'smoky" voice created an air of mystique and drove curiosity around Cell C's pending entry into the market. Each of these adds ended with the tagline For Yourself , punting Cell C's market positioning and consumer focus.